Railway switch



a Sheet t 1 WM N Em mum D. E. RAILWAY SWITCH Original Filed Dec. 5,

36/7/76 ahey 35 d mm D. E. LAHEY RAILWAY SWITCH Sept. 18, 1923. amas V y K\ Original Filed Dec. 5. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwumatoz Sept. w18 1923. 1,468,533

I D. E. LAHEY RAILWAY SWITCH Original Filed Dec. 5. 1922 3 Sheets- Sheet 3 m "1 Dam/6E. Lame 33,13 w: .m r 1 2 y Patented Sept. 18, 1923..

reins.

I DENNIS E. LAHEY, or LOUISVILLE,. KE1\TTUCKY.

' RAILWAY swITcH.

flontinuation of application Serial No. 665,045, filed December 5, 19 2 2-. This application filed August 21,

1923. Serial 110.658390.

To all *whom it may concern: 1 Be it known that I, DENNIs E. LAHEY, citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in f the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have I invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Railway Switches, of which the following is a spec ification.

This invention relates to improvements in railway switches, and the primary object of the invention is. to furnish an im proved switch for rendering the travel of' a railway train saferduring its passage through the switch, and is a continuation otmy application Serial No, 605,045, filed December 5, 1922, l i

Another object of the invention is to provide a railway switch having novel guardrails designed to house the switchpoints when'the latter are notcooperating with the stock-rails, and to guide loose parts hanging from the train over the switch without damaging any part of the latter.

A further object of the invention: is to furnish improved ramps designed to be arranged between' the guard rails and stock rails to facilitate the passage of the car;

wheels over the switch and to prevent loose parts being caught in the throats between the guard rails and stock rails.

A still furtherobject is-to furnish specially formed-braces for holding the guard rails in a relatively fixed position, while permitting the same to expandand contact. i Another objectvis to provide novel clamps torbondingthe guard rails and stock rails together. o p g W vith the foregoing objects outlined and with other obj ects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consistsf in the novel features hereinafter de scribed in detail, illustrated in the accorn panying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings i o 7 Fig.1 is a'top'plan view of a. portion of a railway track having the improved rail 5 way switch mechanism incorporated therein. I F1g. 2 1s a transverse vertlcal sectional view taken on line 2 -2 of Fig. 1. 9 Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken-on line 3+3 of Fig. l.

' Fig. A is a perspective view of one of the clamps designed to secure a guardrail and stock rail together. M

Fig. 5 is a similar view ot one of the braces employed to hold the guard rail in position. 7 V

Fig. 6 is a similar View of the other brace for securing the guard rail in position.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the guard rails,

Fig. 8 is a similar view of one of the wedge blocks used with the clamps. I

Fig. 9 is aview-similar to Fig. 1, but showing a'modification. lOiis a perspective view of one of the guard rail cover plates used, forming part ot the modification. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one of the clamps used with'fthe modification.

; Figs. 12 and 13 areperspective views of the braces'forming part of the modification. f

In the drawings, 1 and2 designatestock rails mounted on ties 3 and cooperating with switch points 4 and 5.

Arranged between the stool; rails are guard rails 6. These guard rails are the same in construction with the exception that one is formed to cooperate with the stock rail 1 while the other is shaped to cooperate with the stock rail 2, and as the structure of these guard rails-is similar, a description of one will suiiice for both.* Each. guard rail consists of ahead portion 7 which extends from the point 8 to the point 9, and the inner edge portion of this head is provided with an offset shoulder 10, while the outer edge por tion is curved inwardly from the point 11 to the opposite ends8 and 9 of the head. The ends of the head 7 are supported by pedestals 12 and 18 which are preferably of angular shape in cross sectionas shown at 14, and. areinclined downwardly in opposite directions. These inclines are designated 15 in Figure 3. Itwill be noted that loose parts hanging from a train passing in'either, direction overthe track will ride up these inclines 15 so that they will not be, liable to catch on any fixed portion of the flanges of" the car wheels into engagej ment with the heads of the stock rails.

V The portions off the heads ofl' the guard rails arranged near the ends8' are" supported and prevented from mov1ng toward one another by means of braces 17 ..One "-"Qf: these braces is shown detached in Figure 5,

and it consists of a base 18 provided with apertures;19 to receive thespikes employed in fastening thebraces to the ties 3,] A ver-' tical web 20' rising from said base extends frornnioving towards the longitudinal center of the track. The head? is secured to thehead 22 by suitable fastening means-25,

such as screws, bolts, or rivets;

- The. end portionsiof the heads of the guard rails, arrangedadjac ent thepedestals 13, are supported and held in position -by braces 26. One of these braces is-shown in Fig. 6' and it is identical with therbrace 17 'withthe exceptionithat the upper surface 27 theihead 28 between the shoulder 29 and edge30, is of substantially the same width as the portion of the head of the guard rail which rests on the same, and

- as shown in Figure 3, and this inclined sur surface'35 which extends under the head of the stock rail as, shown at 36 in Figure 2.

this additional width is provided-to permit the edge 28 and the edge 31 of the brace'to abut against the'ramp 32," as-bes't shown in Fig.2. Thehead 28 of the bra'ce'26 is'also connected togthe head-of the guard rail by:

means of suitable fastenings' 33;.

Each ofthese. ramps has'an inclined end surface. 34, which snugly engagesthe under surface of one of the: inclinedp'edestals 13,

face 34 extendsacross the space between the stock rail and the pedestal 13. Therefore,

will be seenfromFigure Ithat any loose part. hanging; from a train passing in the left hand direction andstriklng said ramp,

will: ride up the-inclined surface 34 and will thus be guided through the throat forrnedibetween the guard rail andthe stock railf The inclined surface 34 at its upper endlrnerges into-a substantially horizontal end of the ramp 32 opposite the in clined surface Sfiis downwardly inclinedias shown at 37 sothata traininoving in the right. hand direction. inFigure 1- mayv also have hanging parts, guided through the throats-formed between the guard rails and stochrails. InFigure 2it maybe seen that the. ramp has an upwardly, extending part 38.on which.. the head 7' of the guard rail rests, andthe outer surfaces ofthis exten sion 38 is inclined downwardlyand outwardly as shown at 39 in order to-force the V flangev'of a cari wheel toward {the flieadi of a stockrail, 7 7 r In order to secure each of the guard rails and the '2 stock rail. with" which it cooperates together and prevent shifting of these two 'e'lernents;-lI have provided U-shaped clamps '40, one of which is shown detached in Fig: "ure' 4. This clamp has head portion4'1; on which the intermediate portion of the; head 7 of the guardrail rests,.;and.a shoul- I der 4-2 extends upwardly from thishead and abuts against the inneredgeoffthe'. headiof the guard rail The shoulder 10", of-the-- guard rail prevents longitudinal Ino'veinentv of the clamp 40' in one directionfand fastening' rneans e3 "fui'ictionl tofsecure the" inter.-- portion ofthe' guard rail to themediate head 41. 7 r A V V In order to hold the'clampin position, itis provided "with a keyway 44; to receive a rib infor ed on a wedgesliaped key 45 driven 'in' between the outer aiin 46 of'tli'e clamp andjthe outer surface of the guard ai Z ends of the switch pointsfgt' ands, and it 'may be readily seenfrom Figure 1 that the shifting of the tie bafr transversely of; the" tracln'will' caus'e'the free endofone ofthe switch pointsto move fromfjjbeneath the head 7 of one of thegnard rails wjhile the free end of the othei. Sw tch point'is'rnoved and thus housed;v

v The. headsof the guard rails have outer;

beneath the lie-ad of:the'otherjgualcl rail;

47 desi nates a tie Ear con ectin the free beveled surfaces 5*, as shown inIFigure2', and V these beveled surfaces tend to guide the wheel flanges toward- 'the stock rails andQto pievent any hangmgpaIts froinflcatching on p amputees,- V The guardfr'ailofiny invention may be used universally at switch-'j0iI1't's',v frogs, or,

any other placewhere it might be applicable;

In the modified embodiment shown? in igs. 9 to 13 ;inc 1usive,,the,gu rd "rail 6 has a recess 6*. in its upper face intermediate 1ts ends. I This ,recess is adapted to enter a notch 40? in. the clamp 1,40% and as (this! clarhp secures th top portion of the guard rail in: position, it will be seen;,tha't the: braces l'l" and 26*' need not have their heads 22 ;and 28 perforated; asfiniFigs. 5 and'6i Fronn the foregoi g, isibelieve'd thattlie. construction, operation and arrangement of parts may be. readily'nnderstood by those skilled infthe-art, land' itpi'siapparent that, j

various. changes 'I'nayfbe made in the .conw struction lllus'trated'f without} departing from the spirit of. the inventionasieirpressed in the claims; 1

My beforemntionedl' sarc sm Serial No. 605 045,; disclosed the subject-"matter shown in Figs; 1" to 8"of this application,

in one direction.

and I have filed this application to include the subject matter shown in Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive. 7 y

- What is claimedand desired to be secured by Letters Patent is 1. In a railway track, the combination with stock rails and switch points, of guard rails arranged between the stock rails and having portions designed to house the tree ends of the switch points when the latter are not cooperating with the stock rails, braces supporting the heads of said guard rails, and clamps arranged between the braces for securing the guard rail heads to.

the stock rails.

2. A railway switch as claimed in claim 1 in which the heads of the rails are supported at their ends by pedestals of angular shaped cross section.

8. A railway switch as claimed in claim 1, in which the ends of the heads of the guard rails are supported by pedestals having downwardly inclined outer faces.

4. A railway switch as claimed in claim 1 in which the outer edge of the headot each guard rail is curved inwardly in opposite directions from a point arranged in close proximity to the free ends of the. switch points.

5. A railway switch as claimed in claim 1 in which the inner edges of the heads of the guard rails are provided with shoulders against which said clamps bear to prevent longitudinal movement of the guard rails 6. A railway switch as claimed in claim 1 in which ramps are arranged between certain of said braces and the stock rails, said last mentioned braces functioning to prevent the ramps from moving inwardly toward the longitudinal center of the track.

7. A railway switch as claimed in claim 1 in which ramps are arranged between certain of said braces and the stock rails, each of said ramps having oppositely downwardly extending inclined portions at its opposite ends, and an upwardly extending portion provided with a downwardly and outwardly inclined side surface.

8. A railway switch as claimed in claim '1 in which each of said braces includes a base adapted to be secured to a tie, a vertically extending web rising from said base, a head carried by the web, and a shoulder carried by the'head and adapted to engage the inner edge of one of the guard rails.

9. A railway switch as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said clamps includes a base portion provided with upwardly extending spaced arms, one of said arms having a head adapted to engage the under sur face of the head of one of the guard rails, a shoulder adapted to engage the inner edgeot the head of the guard rail, and the other arm of said clamp having a keyway ,and a key extending through said keyway and engaging one of the stock rails. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

DENNIS E. LAHEY. 

